Real Estate Related Links
The official Illinois Courts web site includes a wealth of
information on the Illinois judiciary, the latest docket
information, and opinions of the Illinois Appellate Courts and the
Supreme Court. It presents general information about the entire
court system in Illinois and includes Supreme Court and Appellate
Court opinions from 1996 to the present. The site also includes a
complete listing of Supreme Court Rules and portions of the Supreme
Court Annual Report, Administrative Summary and Statistical
Reports. Press and media announcements are also available. Supreme
Court docket information includes a listing of cases which the
Court has taken under advisement and are pending decision; a list
of pending petitions for rehearing; and a list of the petitions for
leave to appeal pending before the Court. It also contains the
Illinois Supreme Courts schedule of oral arguments and oral
argument calendars for each of the six Appellate Court districts.
This comprehensive web site also includes numerous links under the
"Judicial Links and Research" heading to bar associations
(including IRELA), legal research sites, State of Illinois sites,
State University sites, U. S. Government sites, and Illinois
Circuit Courts Online.
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional
Regulation
www.idfpr.com
The Department's mission is to protect and promote the lives of
Illinois consumers, and it oversees over one million
professionals in nearly 100 industries. The IDFPR licenses
everything from barbers to banks and architects to real estate
brokers, title insurance agents and veterinarians, and monitors
most of the state's financial institutions.
The Title Insurance Section of
IDFPR's Division of Financial Institutions oversees and regulates
the activities of title insurance agents and companies. In addition
to regulating those entities licensed to conduct real estate
transactions throughout the State of Illinois, the section,
pursuant to the Title Insurance Act, certifies Independent
Escrowees which receive deposits, in trust, of funds or documents
for the purpose of effecting the sale, transfer, encumbrance or
lease of property held until the title to a given property is in
prescribed condition.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
www.fdic.gov
Banking law, federal regulations; FDIC publications, statistics
on banks and banking, regulations and the quarterly Survey of Real
Estate Trends.
Federal Housing Authority (FHA)
www.hud.gov
Information about buying and financing residential real estate
using Federal Housing Administration insured mortgages, and about
servicing these loans; includes RESPA statute and regulations,
escrow accounting procedures, proposed and final HUD rules and
regulations.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
www.fema.gov
Information on the national flood insurance program, disaster
management and recovery and geographical mapping of flood/disaster
zones. Includes forms library and information for filing
flood/disaster claims.
A FNMA site with information on buying and refinancing homes.
Includes calculation directions for consumers to determine what
home price they can afford and a glossary of mortgage and financing
terms.
Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
www.hud.gov
Information about FHA insured mortgages, lending and servicing.
Includes proposed and final HUD regulations and all mortgagee
letters from 1976.
Veteran's Administration (VA)
www.va.gov
Veteran's Administration guaranteed mortgages and programs;
includes frequently asked questions about qualifying for VA
guaranteed loans.
Information regarding assessments, locations, office hours and
telephone numbers of assessors offices in Cook County. Taxpayers
who have recently received notices of increased assessments due to
triennial reassessment can check assessments of neighboring
properties at this web site to check whether proposed assessment is
in line with similar properties.
Pay current Cook County taxes online (through
system established through Amalgamated Bank using funds on deposit
with any bank). Check Cook County tax payment
status online by entering the Permanent Index Number for a
parcel. The site also contains a database of probate
estates searchable by year, by names of probate cases,
and, where available, by names of listed heirs setting forth
amounts deposited with the Treasurer's Office pursuant to probate
court order, as well as instructions to potential heirs regarding
how to file a claim. Forms such as Change of
Address and Application for a Duplicate or Overpayment Refund are
available for downloading. Also has general information regarding
taxes in various languages.
Information regarding radon testing and remediation requirements
in Illinois, text of new radon rule promulgated by the state, as
well as lists of current measurement and mitigation licensees
authorized under recent regulations to perform radon services. Call
IDNS at 1 (800) 325-1245 to verify licensure and individuals
offering measurement services.
Information from FNMA, a private corporation with the National
Housing Act as its "mission" and the largest source of home
mortgage funds and secondary mortgage market to increase the
availability and affordability of homes; Includes information for
home buyers and lenders, and monthly newsletter discussing federal
regulations relating to mortgages, and the text of guidelines and
lender letters relating to servicing of mortgages.
Information about purchasing and repackaging mortgages as
securities for sale and investment; includes current and historical
prime mortgage rate information, public relations materials about
the secondary mortgage market, and a listing of Freddiemac owned
real estate for sale.
Helpful database maintained by Attorneys' Title Guaranty Fund
(and provided as a service by ATG to the Illinois Real Estate
Lawyers Association) on Transfer Taxes imposed by the State of
Illinois, by Illinois counties, and by various Illinois
municipalities which have passed transfer tax ordinances. Unless
exempt, transfer tax stamps must first be purchased and affixed to
a deed (or an Assignment of Beneficial Interest in a land trust)
before the document can be recorded.
Helpful brochure produced by Illinois State Bar Association
detailing steps in a real estate transaction, the importance of
having an attorney in the transaction, the Real Estate Agent, Title
Insurance, Pre-Closing Considerations, the Closing process, and
special concerns relating to condominium, new construction, seller
financing, and land trusts.
Current news and in-depth articles for practitioners in real
estate. Includes analysis of current trends, collection of law firm
memoranda on real estate topics, and links to related Internet
sites. Click on the "practice areas" button at the home page.
Published and maintained by the Seattle Public Library and
designed to provide hyperlinks to all U.S. cities Municipal Codes;
includes "Municipal Codes On-line" with links to actual text and
annotations where available.
Database of current residential mortgage lending regulations and
guidelines; includes a daily industry update and announcements from
FNMA, FHLMC, GNMA, HUD and VA. Both free and fee-based
services.
Maintained by the law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris Shriver &
Jacobson to market their book "The Fair Lending Guide," covering
the Fair Housing Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Community
Reinvestment Act; full text and archives of the Fair Lending Alert
Newsletter and articles by FFJSK attorneys. At the FFJSK home page,
click on "specialized pages".
International Real Estate Digest
www.ired.com
Comprehensive site relating to real estate,
national/international/local, (remember, what is "local" to one
person is "international" to someone else); includes daily news
headlines from banking and real estate, featured columns such as
"Ask the Lawyer" and "Environmental Law," with over 12,000 links to
real-estate-related sites in 85 countries claimed.
Current Mortgage Information
www.ired.com
Current and statistical data relating to mortgage rates; daily
and weekly rates, market trends and forecasts, home equity rates,
ARM index rates, financial calculators and articles.
Owners.com, formerly Abele Owners Network, is one of the largest
national listing and information service of homes for sale by-owner
(FSBO). It has recently launched completely re-designed and
expanded version of its online real estate service. The re-launch
incorporates an entirely new interactive flowchart of the real
estate transaction, new mortgage/buyer tools, and personalization
designed for consumers working alone or with a Realtor. New online
tools include a Loan Center, Closing Services Center, and a
Personal Finance Center. The site has received numerous awards,
including being named "the best for-sale-by-owner network" by The
Wall Street Journal, and being featured as one of PC Magazines "Top
100 Web Sites" 8/97, 11/97, 3/98. For those selling their homes by
owner, Owners.com is a powerful marketing and information
resource.
For Sale By Owner Connection provides helpful information to
buyers and sellers. There are extensive property listings to browse
through, complete with photographs and contact information. There
is also a glossary of real-estate terms and a helpful series of
articles about selling property, covering topics like hiring a
lawyer, having an open house, and advertising the property. (Cost:
Free to browse; sellers can advertise a home for $79 until it sells
(up to one year).)
Real Estate Internet Talk Soup
www.tax.org
Newsletter and discussion forum relating to real estate tax
issues and development maintained by Tax Analysts, a non-profit
organization; includes archived newsletters and directions for
subscribing. At the home page, click on the "discussion groups"
entry and scroll for the real estate group sign-up.
DIRT
Largest real-estate-law discussion group on the Internet,
maintained by Prof. Patrick Randolph of the University of Missouri
Law School; includes a daily case note offered for discussion by
e-mail. To subscribe send message "subscribe" to dirt-request@cctr.mke.edu.
American Society of Home Inspectors
www.ashi.com
Web site maintained by national organization providing
information on home inspectors. Includes a searchable database to
find a local ASHI inspector.
Helpful web site maintained by GDR, a global environment and
development firm delivering comprehensive solutions to challenging
problems for government, industry, and owners of real property. GDR
focuses specifically on environmentally impacted areas, commonly
known as "brownfields," and offers an integrated operation for
advanced remediation and property redevelopment.
Comprehensive site including access to Illinois statutes, public
acts, and bills made available on the Net by the Illinois General
Assembly. Also, information regarding developments of interest to
Illinois lawyers, including updates regarding individual ISBA
sections and newsletters. Includes a Legislative Alert E-mail list
and a special Illinois Case Update service to allow attorneys to
keep abreast of cases pending before Illinois courts and to keep
track of legislative developments. The Real Estate Section portion
of the web site includes many links to real-estate related web
sites.
DuPage County Bar Association
www.dcba.org
The legal link to DuPage County and the 18th Judicial circuit.
Includes many helpful links to valuable legal resources. The Real
Estate Law Committee of this association is particularly
active.
Illinois Institute of Continuing Education (IICLE)
www.iicle.com
Topics regarding continuing legal education opportunities;
includes monthly "bullet point" updates ("Flashpoints") in real
estate and other specific areas of law contributed by recognized
practitioners.
State Board of Realtors web site with property search
information, real estate-related links, including state and federal
government links, industry and financial links, and links to local
realtors associations throughout Illinois.
Northwest Association of Realtors
www.nwar.com
Board of Realtors web site for Northwest Association of Realtors
based in the suburban area northwest of Chicago with comprehensive
information for sellers, buyers, and agents and links to various
real estate-related sites, including governmental, industry, and
financial sites. Includes lists of radon Measurement and Mitigation
professionals licensed by the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety
(click on "real estate links" and then select "service links").
North Shore - Barrington Association of REALTORS
www.nsbr.com
Board of Realtors web site with lots of general information for
sellers, buyers, and agents. Includes forms, information and data
regarding continuing education opportunities.
Web site of the Illinois state agency charged with the
responsibility of overseeing the operation of banks in Illinois and
the administration and enforcement of the Illinois Real Estate
License Act of 1983, the Time Share Act and the Land Sales
Registration Act of 1989. A sub-agency, the Bureau of Real Estate
Professions, seeks to protect the interests of the public while
providing service to the real estate and real estate appraisal
industries. The site includes the texts of applicable laws and
other helpful regulatory information of interest to those involved
in real estate, as well as mortgage banking and real estate
professions complaint forms. (For a complaint form developed by
IRELA for use in connection with the failure of a lender to have
funds timely wired to a closing, click on the "Members" link on the
top navigation bar.)
Liability Disclaimer The information on
this web site does not constitute legal advice. The law is
constantly changing, and we make no warranty of the accuracy of
information on this site or any site to which we link.